FIRST PREMIER Outlandish Fees Just to Activate a Credit Card!!! SIOUX FALLS SOUTH DAKOTA

Rob's right on the money on both SD and First Premier. I've never had a card with these guys but I interviewed with them on a job a year ago. That's when I found out what they were doing. I can assure you that the vast majority of the people that work at this place are plain con-artists themselves. During my interview I openly heard associates lie and exaggerate on the phones constantly. $180 to set up an account that maybe has a $300 - 400 credit limit. $10 to pay by phone, $5 or something like that just to log in to their website, just plain BS fees that I would imagine even your worst bank wouldn't charge. I don't think you can even call First Premier a bank, they're more like a collections agency gone bad (we have plenty of those in SD).

Rob is also right on SD being a bankers haven. The usury laws here are very lax. I think that the credit card laws here are somewhat more lax than most other states, but the real kicker is the payday loan crap-outfits here. In Sioux Falls we probably have close to three or four dozen of these types of places, and 500%, 600%, even 700% and higher APRs are not uncommon. Place them right next to the casinos and bars (no shortage of them here either) and you get a real fun show. Finance is a big part of the SOuth Dakotan economy. It's also why the state barely scrapes by even in good times. These credit card and finance companies probably hire close to around 4000 - 11000 people in the SIoux Falls metropolitan area combined. That's out of a labor force of maybe 100,000. Also, T. Sanford (the owner of First Premier) gives a ton of $$$ to charity here (like that helps). He bought out one of the local hospitals here and changed it into his name. I swear to God he is going to take over the whole town.

Personally, I really hope that someone takes them down like Cuomo did in NY. South Dakota likely won't though since the whole state is corrupt like First Premier. Politically I'm not sold on any differences between the Red and Blue States, but I will agree that the Red states usually are more corrupt and self-serving as a whole.

Kat I agree with what has been said I find it surprising that you at some point did not read the information on the website or the mailed enclosures that pointed out every cost just to get an account with this predatory company.

I knew going in I was going to pay those fee's and choose to do so in a effort to try to repair my faltering and bad credit. Of course I had not found this site to find out what a truely bad deal I was getting. I discovered the nickel & diming that they do after you get an account, $6 a month "maintenence" fee, $7 just to pay the account ONLINE, up to 20 days for the payment to be posted to an account if you pay with a check or online. NEVER was given a credit increase for prompt payments, I would have to PAY them a fee to get one.

The interest rate that they charged while lower than some cards I have didn't justify the rest of the money they billed every month just to have the account. The final straw was a notice on my statement that my "annual" fee of $48 was going to be applied the following month, and to make sure there was enough "credit" available or they would charge me a overlimit fee and subject my account to the penalties with such activity and my interest rate would skyrocket. I paid the account via Western Union in full, made sure it posted and I had a $0 balance and then called and cancelled the card.

Of course they tried their darnest to keep me from doing so, even offering to waive the credit limit increase fee if I kept the card. Their response when I asked how much my credit limit would be was "no more than 2/3 of your current credit line" I declined, and it took me another 4 statements of "cancel my account now" before I had to firmly tell them to cancel, and I would refuse to pay ANY further billing, and if they did charge me the annual fee I would report them to the California States Attorney office for deceptive business practices. At that point I got a "Your account is canceled" and the CSR hung up. I say GOOD RIDDANCE, I now have 4 other CC's that don't charge me these outrageous fees.

I hope you get your refunds, but I highly doubt it. Let this just be a unfortunately costly lesson into checking out EVERYTHING you get from these companies and read the fine print. And another suggestion, one which I did and am very happy I did. CALL that OPT OUT number that is required to be on all postal mail advertisements for such credit accounts and other financial institutions and GET YOURSELF OFF THEIR LISTS. It will remove the temptation and you can pick and choose where you go for credit accounts by yourself.

It's great that someone else understands that there are larger issues involved here than a few rogue predatory companies who exploit people. There is a much larger issue of a corrupt political culture that allows such firms to operate. The political situation in this nation has greatly deteriorated. One might argue that we have become a crony-capitalist, pay-to-play corporate state. The government is largely run by and for the power elites and corporations. Usury laws have largely been abolished as a result.

Things will only changed with the over-worked, over-stressed, over-distracted and over-entertained citizens of this nation wake up and take back their government

You need to read the disclosures when you sign up for a card. It is hard to beleive that you found out about this company, signed up for the card, got the card, and activated the card. However, you had no idea of any of the fees until you decided to surf the internet.

But with that said, have you even tried to call First Premier. If you just got the card you can call them up and tell then you decided to not keep the card. They should then refund the fees. Just know that if you do this you will close out the account and won't be able to use it.

Kat, I think you getting a refund from First Premier Bank are non-existent. I don't say that with any glee as I do feel sorry for you. This may hurt but they do in a not so direct way or not so clear way tell you of the fees. Now please don't take that as an insult because this bank uses every tactic in the bag to not disclose the information to you. They basically stay just a bit above the law.

There are so many factors affecting this situation the most important one is First Premier Bank operates in South Dakota. That state is the most free in banking regulations of any state in the country. The only one that comes close to it is Delaware. You can see why. South Dakota does not have much to lure business to the state but they can allow shady outfits like First Premier to ripoff folks around the country. This bank employes some 3000 folks in that state and they are paid fairly good wages (alas from the scam fees they charge you) so South Dakota is not about to rock the boat and make it hard for First Premier to do business there.

Second reason is South Dakota is pretty Republican both houses are Repub and the Gov and all the state regulatory agencies and I bet you its a good prediction that all these elected folks are in bed so to say with First Premier. You know good campaign contribution from this scam outfit to these folks protects First Premier Bank and allows them to hussle folks around this country.

Now I had no dealings with this scam bank I had a credit card issued by them in my name. I have given them so much heat and I will continue to do it. They failed to do what they should have done validating the information and its a bad case of them "they got caught with their pants down." Oh, they don't like it but being in South Dakota not much is going to happen to them.

Best thing we can do is tell the story where ever you go about First Premier. Tell folks the scam bank they are. I have got many folks who receive their advertisements they have torn them up and when First Premier opens them up in South Dakota they have nothing but their junk torn up in the envelope. So please get the message out about the scam bank they are and also add that elected officials in South Dakota and mainly the Republicans who control that state are allowing it to happen. Maybe the good folks in South Dakota will clear some of these legislators who fail to control First Premier and force them out of office the we get some decent law bearing legislators who will take First Premier to the courts and stop this scam outfit.